Buddha Haska Temple Visit

I visited the local Buddhist Temple

I've been reading about Buddhism lately and decided to go learn directly from the source.

It is customary to bring food to share with the monks

Monks are forbidden to take anything that is not given to them. We brought bread since I really wasn't sure what to bring. There were many different fruits, roasted vegetables, and several fish dishes. I'm not sure what they were, but they were all amazing.

To begin, we were given small bowls of rice and each monk came by us as we sat on the floor. As the monks passed by, we would place rice in their bowls.

A short blessing by the monks before lunch.

Chanting and meditation. I had no idea what they were chanting, nor could I even try and participate. However, being in this environment brought me a new feeling of peace. For the first time in a long time, I was able to actually quiet a lot of the voices going on in my head and simply relax.

An amazing display at the altar.

Dhamma Learning

After our meditation session was over, we got a chance to sit down with one of the monks to learn more. I was really excited that they were so willing to share the teachings and even though he had literally come to America the day before, he was more than happy to sit with us and share.

A friend from class came with. We are doing a small presentation on a cultural immersion experience. This was definitely and immersive experience, and I plan on returning soon to learn more.